Fresh off his success in establishing a salad and wrap restaurant in South Norwalk, a Wilton resident is adding the final touches to his second eatery prior to opening it in his hometown on Saturday.

Wilton resident Victor Melendez, who converted a former Soup Alley into his first Naked Greens restaurant in February 2012, is counting the hours to opening another one under the same name, by coincidence at a former Soup Alley at 239 Danbury Road (Route 7).

Melendez, who spent 21 years in corporate marketing before opening the South Norwalk restaurant, said it was time to try a new career using the skills he developed in his job, most recently as head of marketing for Italian company Luxottica, focusing on its sunglass business in Canada and the United States.

"I was passionate about building brands and concepts. I want to build my own. You have to take risk. I'm putting everything on the line," said Melendez, who has a master's degree in international business. "I'm building a brand. It's more than a restaurant."

Married and the father of two, Melendez, 45, considers himself a healthy eater, and he has ingrained the same philosophy into Naked Greens' menu, which offers 12 soups per day, all-natural fruit smoothies, raw vegetable juices, wraps, salads and a grilled cheese bar where customers can make their own creations.

"I work out every day and eat healthy," said Melendez, who employs seven at his Norwalk restaurant and has hired 10 to work in Wilton. "We've received rave reviews and encouragement from our Wilton customers (in Norwalk) to open a Wilton location."

Landlord Rick Tomasetti, whose family constructed the Wilton building in 1978, was impressed when he visited the South Norwalk site and met Melendez.

"He's organized, professional and educated about what he wants to do. I really believe he'll be successful in Wilton because he understands the market," said Tomasetti, who owns Richard Tomasetti Architects in Wilton.

Offering seating for 35 and free Wi-Fi access, the restaurant is one in a line of tenants at the building, first occupied by South Norwalk Savings Bank, Tomasetti said, adding that it was vacant about one year.

"We had inquiries about a steak house, a pizza shop, a sports bar, a commercial caterer and a pet shop," he said.

Naked Greens is open Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.